Teachers and school leaders are the building blocks of the success of a country’s education system, but in Mexico, and Puebla is no exception. The need for a high quality teacher workforce in basic education has encountered economic, political and pedagogic difficulties. The roles and expectations of teachers and school leaders are unclear because there are no common standards in place. At present, the teaching profession in Mexico does not attract the best candidates and selection into initial education and teaching positions is not solely based on competence. There is an overprovision of initial teacher training which has an uneven quality and professional development opportunities lack both structure and a school-based focus. Similarly, school leaders and other education leaders are not well-prepared, supported or recognised, and their role lacks a focus on educational improvement.

To raise the quality of teachers and school leaders, this chapter looks into policies to:

• Foster the development and use of standards to clarify the roles and set high expectations for teachers and education leaders
• Adjust the provision and raise the quality of the Normales
• Develop and consolidate a professional development system more responsive to teachers' and schools' needs
• Better select and prepare current and future school leaders and supervisors